The USC-UCLA rivalry is considered intense but you could never get away with some of the things attempted in the past.

Consider that in 1958, two USC students planted a potential time bomb under a UCLA cheerleader platform as a “prank” at the Coliseum. The students said the bomb was harmless and would only produce smoke but police said it posed a danger.

The bomb was discovered by two small children who climbed under the platform and yanked the wires loose from an alarm clock. More than 50 USC students who belonged to the Trojan Knights were involved in the prank, according to a university investigation.

Police eventually declined to file charges against the two USC students. With all the security at today’s games, imagine the uproar if something similar happened today? The game might be canceled. Of course, sneaking into the Coliseum and planting a bomb was a lot easier in the 1950’s.

>>Has USC ever had a coach with the laid-back style of Clay Helton? I would say the closest comparison might be Jess Hill, who was USC coach from 1951-56. Hill was known for his bland answers and saying “mighty fine.”

The opponent was “mighty fine.” USC’s players were “mighty fine.”

Hill resented UCLA coach Red Sanders, a media favorite who gave witty responses. Helton doesn’t resent anyone in the Pac-12. But he said UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen was “magnificent” after he watched tape of the Bruins’ game against Arizona State. That’s close to mighty fine.

Salahuddin and Mauga are already committed to USC. There will also be a lot of Southern California-area recruits including wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown of Mater Dei High in Santa Ana. St. Brown, who is ranked the No. 1 wide receiver in the nation, is expected to go to USC.

>>This will be the last game at the Coliseum with a capacity of 93,607. The stadium will be in the process of a renovation next season with a capacity of roughly 80,000. When the renovation is completed, the capacity will be about 78,000.

>>The George Tirebiter statue at USC is covered in a wooden doghouse this week to protect it against vandalism or pranks from UCLA students. The original Tirebiter was a stray neighborhood dog who became the mascot at USC.

“He knew he was something special,” said Don Simonian, a USC student in the early 1950s. “He would go into Founders Hall and come in and out of the classrooms.”

Tirebiter famously had to be restrained from biting Oski, the Cal mascot, before the 1947 game.

“You had to be careful when you petted him,” Simonian said.

>>My game prediction: Anything can happen in a rivalry game, but does anyone feel like UCLA can pull off an upset of USC? This feels like a predictable Pac-12 game for USC, which wins with superior talent but rarely plays a full four quarters.

USC should be able to run the ball the entire game against UCLA, but it’s porous secondary seems like something Rosen can exploit. The game might become a blowout if Rosen loses interest or suffers an injury.